Search: Mercedes C-class Estate
Niche machines are breeding like Easter bunnies, so is the traditional estate endangered? Not if you bag Mercedes-Benz's newcomer, says Simon Hacker.
Price: ¯¿½29,655
On sale: Now
0-62mph: 8.5 seconds; top speed 139mph
Average fuel: 46.3mpg
Standard equipment: seven airbags, 17-inch alloys, single CD player with MP3 functionality, Bluetooth interface, auto climate control, electric/heated door mirrors, front fogs, partial electric seats, four electric windows, one-push automatic tailgate shutting, multi-function leather steering wheel, Pre-Safe accident preparation, ESP, Brake Assist, enhanced Sport braking system, parameter speed-sensitive steering, Sport Agility suspension.
Tiscali verdict: 8/10 Top design for huff-free loading. Striking looks and road presence. Handles enthusiastically.
Estate cars are not exactly the darling among Britain's bright young things. Look at the strong-selling Merc C Class version: the average age of ownership? Fifty seven.
Obviously the young suits at Merc's Milton Keynes HQ desire to change that. And if you've seen the new C-Class saloon, you'll already know that Mercedes' mainstay motor has been given more than a shot of Viagra. From every angle, it looks sharper than Jack Dee in a lemon jumpsuit.
The new estate is now on sale and great care has gone into making sure that it doesn't lumber into the showroom with all the grace of an ugly sister. Check the upright rear screen - it's set at a practical angles, yet the accentuated tapering of the side windows and strong shoulder line draw your eye away from such utilitarian thoughts. Indeed, this design is now 2.25 inches longer and 1.75 inches wider, but because it's lower than before, by nearly a third of an inch, the entire shape is roundly un-estateish.
There are three diesels but the sales pie, showing how the new C-Class has been fairing so far, might suggest there's too much choice: out of 3,190 cars sold, nearly half (47.9%) are the type tested here, the C220 CDI. Indeed, 54% of new C-Class sales so far are diesel, and Mercedes suspects this model won't sway that balance.
When choosing from the three diesel options, it's not difficult: the entry-choice C200 CDI has the same 2,148cc engine as the C220 but delivers an adequate 136hp against the latter's beefier 170hp. Meanwhile, the C320 CDI has a V6 2,987cc unit and offers up 224bhp... Fab, but it returns just 37.7mpg overall, while the C200 CDI blasts it with a comparatively huge 47.1mpg. Power-wise, the C200 clocks in a sleepwalking 10.8 seconds to 62mph, against which the C320 CDI, at just 7.1 seconds, is already half way home. But that's precisely why so many buyers will go for the pivotal C220 CDI: for economy, it returns 46.3mpg, while for acceleration, it's closer to the C320 CDI, delivering 62mph in a respectable 8.5 seconds. Phew.
In SE spec, the C220 CDI comes in at ¯¿½26,760 - just over a grand more than the ¯¿½25,725 C200 CDI. To upgrade, goodies can be to your C220 CDI for ¯¿½1,195 if you seek Elegance, or ¯¿½2,895 if you lust for a bit of Sport.
There's an essential point to your specificational choice which explains why varying pictures of this new model appear so different: if you go for Sport, you lose the bonnet-mounted Tristar and, in place, get an teaplate-size logo, inset to a sportier front grille. This sounds like corner-cutting but is genius - a subtle but crucial change that should work wonders in attracting younger fans. And to back it all up, Sport also includes racing AMG-style front and rear 'aprons' and sideskirts.
Despite all this yoof-ication, Mercedes can't get away from the passive mindset of its customers: the six-speed gearbox option takes up no more than a laughable 7% of sales of the C-Class. The reasons for joining the 93% are tangible: though the manual choice is easy and sporty enough to earn some cred, the auto is simply miles better and works far more co-operatively with the C-Class's signature foot-pedal parking gizmo. Rather than abandon this eccentric trait, Mercedes has simply added a new hill start assist gadget that prevents you rolling back while applying said brake. All said though, the auto is the auto choice.
And it doesn't detract from the performance. The estate, in fact, feels just as keen, just as competent and lively as the new saloon. It sits and stays put on bends and you can feel the road through the steering - in a reassuring wallow-free way. In fact, body roll has been ironed out to the tune of 10% on the old estate.
Conversely, when you want a bit of velvet, on faster open stretches of straight motorway, it settles down to a smooth glide. That's because all cars have a sport agility package which stiffens and softens the shock absorbers in reaction to your driving style (or lack of it). Should you be too enthusiastic, they also feature a "pre-safe" mode, too: feeding off the brake system, this tautens seatbelts, shuts windows and adjusts seat backs if an accident is judged to be imminent.
Will you be enthusiastic? The engine can feel a touch raucous when pushed, but any gruffness stays beneath the bonnet and barely reaches the cabin. And for quick response, it shows no tendency to either nod off - or deliver oversized dollops of torque.
On first impression, the interior exudes understated class with plenty of upmarket textures and plastics. There are rather a lot of buttons to contend with, including a multi-function central knob. With experience, you'd presumably begin to know your way around, but many secrets are only slowly revealed. Rear seat space is excellent and comfortable, despite reinforcement to the asymmetric seat backs for load protection. The latter drop, incidentally, at the flick of a wrist and lie flat with no need to wrestle with head rests.
There's every reason to predict an upshift in age appeal here, though the latest Merc estate looks capable of delivering that change without alienating its traditional fan base. And whatever your age, the 220 will definitely make you smile.
Want to know more about the Mercedes C220 CDi Sport Estate? Go to the picture gallery here.
